Chengdu, China: The CLPG Tour returns to the Sichuan capital this week after an absence of 15 years with a new tournament in the China Women’s Legacy event.
The RMB500,000 tournament, teeing off tomorrow at Poly Chengdu Golf Club, features a field of 104 players – 78 professionals and 26 amateurs – playing in a dual individual-and-team format.
The individual event is a 54-hole stroke play tournament with no cut, while the team competition consists of 26 squads, each comprising three CLPG Tour players and one junior amateur.
The team line-up will change after each round, with champions, runners-up and third-place finishers determined daily. The team score for each hole will be calculated by combining the amateur’s score with the two better scores from the professional players in the group. The 18-hole cumulative total will serve as the team’s final result.
In the first round, the 78 professionals will be seeded from one to 78 based on their CLPG Tour ranking and then divided into 26 groups via the snake ranking (S-shaped ranking) method. The 26 amateurs will be randomly assigned to these groups through a draw.
For Sui Xiang who will play on the Sichuan team, the event feels like a homecoming. Despite being born in Guangzhou, under China’s unique sports system the 26-year-old competes for the Sichuan provincial team.
Similar to football clubs, each provincial team can recruit athletes from around the country by offering financial incentives to form their squads and represent them in competitions.
“As a member of the Sichuan provincial team, competing back in Sichuan feels like coming home,” said Sui, a two-time winner on the CLPG Tour. “However, this is my first time playing at Poly Chengdu Golf Club. I’ve already completed my first practice round and anticipate seeing plenty of low scores this week. The course conditions are excellent. I believe this tournament will ultimately come down to who can make the most birdies.”
Other notable CLPG Tour players in the field include Cao Xinyu, Pang Runzhi, Wang Zixuan and Lin Qianhui, winner of last week’s Beijing Women’s Challenge.
After each round, the champion, runner-up, and third-place teams will be determined, and the team compositions will be reshuffled. The first-round seeding is based on CLPG Tour ranking, while the second-round seeding is based on 18-hole scores. The third-round seeding is based on 36-hole scores.
This dynamic format ensures fresh competition each day, blending professional and amateur talent in a unique celebration of golf’s future.
With the China team finishing fourth at last week’s Queen Sirikit Cup in Japan, the country’s top amateurs will be prominent at Poly Chengdu. Liu Yujie was the top Chinese in equal ninth at the tournament officially known as the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, while Zhou Shiyuan was equal 13th and Xu Ying 15th.
Joining them in the field this week is Hong Kong’s Sophie Han Zilin and Dalian native Ren Yijia, both winners on the CLPG Tour. Han, Ren and Zhou were all members of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation team that defeated their European Golf Association counterparts in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy in January.
“I’m really looking forward to experiencing this innovative tournament format, which will give players fresh competitive opportunities,” said Xu who will be classified as a pro on account of her winning the ZF.Kove Chongqing Women’s Open in April. “I’m particularly excited about the team collaboration aspect and hope we can work together to deliver strong performances.”
Han, who was equal 17th individually at the Queen Sirikit, is another who will be considered a professional after winning the Reignwood China LPGA Classic last year in Beijing. The 17-year-old played in an Aramco Team Series event in Hong Kong in 2023 as an invited amateur competing alongside three professionals and is familiar with the format.
“I find this tournament format quite fascinating. Last time as an amateur, I learned tremendously from partnering with players from the LPGA and LET Tours. Observing their game play up close and studying their course management strategies provided invaluable lessons,” said the teenager, 102nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“I feel confident about my game now and am really looking forward to this week’s event. Although I’m now classified as a professional for this event, I remain an amateur. I’m confident I’ll continue learning and improving through this experience.”
